Transitioning to All Natural Skin Care

Since I experience chronic inflammation, mostly observed through my skin, I decided a while ago it was time to nix some of the chemicals & substances I put on my body. So often I worry about what I’m putting in my body & completely forget that what I put on it is absorbed into my blood stream, etc. as well.

I’ve been making the transition slowly so far. Instead of buying all new things, I’ve been slowly replacing products over time when the current ones run out. That way I’m not wasting money.

Here are some of the more natural products I’ve switched to so far:

1. Coconut oil for my face. I used to use Oil of Olay face lotion or the similar Trader Joe’s variety. The transition was fairly easy. I had one spot on my face that was dry for a bit, but went away. I have really been enjoying the change!

2. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. I used this as a body wash. I know you can use it for a million other things as well, but so far this is the way I use it. I love it for so many reasons. I love the peppermint because it soothes my muscles and makes my skin all tingly! I just feel like I’m doing something good for myself when I use it. Plus breathing in the peppermint is also calm inducing (for me, anyway).

3. All natural toothpaste. This one took a while to get used to because its not sugary & sweet like conventional toothpastes. After a week or two I got used to the flavor & can’t imagine going back!

4. Organic all-natural mascara. I have used this off & on. It doesn’t make your lashes as full or big as other brands. But it’s made of natural ingredients so I can’t really complain! I bought this when my other mascara ran out. I have plans to replace all of my make up with natural ones as I run out. I’ll be in the market for blush & highlighter soon! Those are the 3 things I wear most days. I keep it on the lighter side ;).

5. Homemade dry shampoo. Just a simple mixture of arrowroot powder & cocoa powder! Super easy and great for those days when you’re in a time crunch. I use an old blush brush to comb it into my roots.

6. The “no poo” method. So I have attempted the no shampoo or conditioner method but have failed to maintain it. I get so sick of my hair being frizzy & looking like crap! I know that’s part of the transition & can look that way up to 2 or 3 months but this one has been hard for me. I plan on giving it another try in the near future. In the mean time, I’ve been trying to wash my hair just twice a week instead of every other or every day. I think switching to no shampoo might actually help my dandruff/build up issue, so I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet!

I have also tried natural deodorants but they tend to make me break out & make my under arms extremely painful. For a while I used witch hazel to counteract that but I still felt like it wasn’t covering up the stench. Haha! Fun conversation right there. I might give it another try in the future!

So that’s how and what I’ve been slowly transitioning to! I look forward to sharing more updates about my progress.

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